


Running

by carson_M



Category: USWNT - Fandom
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-04-24 19:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 8,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4931734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carson_M/pseuds/carson_M
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Alex tells Tobin that she's getting married, Tobin goes to Kelley for help, and the two run away together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

     “We could just leave, you know,” Kelley said, “Run away and never come back.” 

     She had planned out the details in the back of her mind. They would travel the world. Going everywhere Kelley hadn’t visited and always wanted to. They would avoid anywhere they had gone before, which would be difficult, seeing how much Tobin traveled. It would be better than staying in Portland with her. The girl who broke Tobin’s heart.

     Tobin looked up from her nest of blankets lying on the floor of Kelley’s bedroom in New Jersey. Tobin had flown out yesterday, when she got the news. 

     “Not funny, Kells.” Came the reply.

     “I’m not kidding,” Kelly said, “I told you that I would be here for you when she broke your heart, and I am. Now, if you don’t want to be around her, run away.”

     “I can’t.” Tobin choked out before burying her face in her blanket nest, crying.

     Kelley dropped off from where she was perched on her bed, and slid over to comfort Tobin. “You don’t have to do anything for her. You don’t have to be in her wedding. You can just say no.”

     Looking up, Tobin stared into Kelley’s eyes. “I can’t leave. I love her.”

     “Now that’s where we disagree. That’s why you have to leave. And I want to go to Belize, damn it!”

     Chuckling, Tobin said, “Belize, huh?” Then softly, “I’ve never been there.”

     “Exactly,” said Kelley, “Now I don’t care whether you want to go or not, but I’m buying plane tickets and we’re leaving tomorrow. Now stop crying, we’re going to eat popcorn and watch the cheesiest movie I can find while we pack.” 

     “Thanks Kells, You always know what to do.” Tobin said.

     “I know.” Kelley whispered as she closed the door.

     Kelley hated seeing Tobin destroyed by Alex Morgan. When Alex had told her that she was going to get married, Kelley knew that Tobin would be distraught. Secretly, she had hoped that this would help Tobin move on, but seeing Tobin this heartbroken made her doubt that it would all be worth it.

     Opening her laptop, Kelley purchased two tickets to Belize, a place she wasn’t sure actually existed until she bought the tickets, and walked over to the cupboard containing her collection of movies. Realizing all the cheesy movies were love stories, she glanced over to her collection of Disney movies. After grabbing Finding Nemo and the Incredibles, Tobin and her favorites, she walked over to the kitchen. 

     She rifled through the cabinets, trying to find the microwave popcorn. That was the problem with always being on the road. Kelley never knew where her food was located. It didn’t help that she never put it back in the same place, either. Finally finding it, she released the bag from its plastic wrapper, and put it in the microwave. 

     As it was popping, she walked over to her stash of chocolate, knowing that it was needed tonight. Kelley grabbed the food and headed back to her room to check on Tobin. Quietly, she opened the door to see Tobin just sitting there.

     “I brought food.” Kelley broke the silence.

     “Thanks.” 

     Kelley put the first disc in the DVD player, and sat next to Tobin as the advertisements for other Disney movies flashed across the screen.

     “When I was a kid, I thought that this was the best part,” Tobin said, “I would make my mom play them again and again. I preferred them to the actual movie.”

     Kelley looked at Tobin like she was crazy, which, if you asked Kelley, she was. “Really, Tobs? You’re crazy!” Kelley laughed.

     They watched the movie in silence, occasionally reaching over to grab at the popcorn. It wasn’t until they were half way through the Incredibles when Kelley’s hand brushed the empty bag. “I’m going to get more. Keep it playing.” She announced.

     Tobin just nodded, silently. When Kelley came back in the room, she saw Tobin with her eyes closed, breathing slowed. Kelley quietly returned to her spot next to Tobin. She wrapped her arm around her friend and gently kissed her forehead, wishing that things had been different.

 


	2. Chapter 2

     Kelley awoke to the sound of the fire alarm going off. Still half asleep, she didn’t quite process that this meant that the house was possibly burning down, and instead groggily got out of bed and walked to the kitchen for breakfast.

     There she saw Tobin, surrounded by smoke, waving a towel at the smoke detector. Behind her was a pan, engulfed by fire.

     “Sorry Kelley. I wanted to make you breakfast. I think I did it wrong.”

     Realizing that her house was going to be on fire if she didn’t do something, Kelley ran and filled a glass with water, and threw it on the flames. Unfortunately, this just served to make the flames grow.

     “It’s a grease fire Kelley! You can’t just throw water on it and hope for the best. You have to smother it! You went to Stanford. You’re supposed to know this stuff!” Tobin yelled.

     “Why does everybody think that I went to Stanford to be smart! I went there cuz’ soccer!” Kelley yelled back while grabbing the lid to the pan and throwing it on top of the flames.

     “Why are you even up?” asked kelley.

     “I’m making breakfast.” Tobin said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

     Kelley was not happy with this answer, and rolled her eyes before saying, “I realize that you were _trying,_ and I say _trying_ , to make breakfast, but why? You should be wallowing.”

     “I’m fine,” Tobin said, reaching into the fridge for a breakfast that wouldn’t burst into flames, “I’m not going to wallow. I’m going to Belize and where ever else we’re going, and I’m going to be **fine.** ” 

     Though she was surprised by Tobin’s new attitude, Kelley figured that it was better than how Tobin was acting yesterday. 

     Forgetting breakfast, Kelley went off to her room to pack. She didn’t really know what kind of climate Belize had, and she was too lazy to look it up, so she randomly threw some clothes in a bag, and called it good. She could always steal Tobin’s clothes if necessary. In fact, that would be better. Wearing Tobin’s clothes made Kelley happy. They smelled like home.

     Meanwhile, Tobin was looking through the bag that haphazardly packed last night, after Alex told her the news. Tobin hadn’t really paid attention to what she was packing, and had neglected to pack a hairbrush. Or toothpaste. Unfortunately, while she was stuffing a backpack full of clothes, Tobin had grabbed Alex’s hoodie. The one Tobin stole when Alex wasn’t looking.

     Tobin held it dejectedly and violently brushed a tear from her face. she was not going to be that girl that falls apart when her crush doesn’t like her back. Tobin stood back up and left the hoodie on the bed in Kelley’s guest room. Tobin didn’t need it anymore.

     The two met up in Kelley’s living room and took Kelley’s car to the airport.

     “Do you happen to know where Belize _is_?” Kelley asked.

     Tobin thought for a moment before answering, “Far away?”

     Even though it wasn’t that funny, the two started laughing uncontrollably. “You mean we’re going to a place that neither of us know where it is, with no plans just because you’re feeling sad?” Kelley gasped.

     “There could be wars going on in Belize, and you just decided, might as well go. Sounds like fun!” Tobin replied, still laughing.

     Finally reigning the ability to breathe, Kelley said, “In my defense, I didn’t know that Belize was an actual place, I just knew that you had never been there.”

     “You didn’t know it existed? You went to Stanford! You’re supposed to be smart!”

     “For the last time, I went to Stanford because of soccer! Why does everybody think that I’m smart?”

     The two began laughing again. Tobin realized that this was the first time since the news that she actually felt happy. Kelley could always make her feel better.

     Before Tobin knew it, they had arrived at the airport, and had stowed Kelley’s car in long term parking. As they packed lightly, they avoided checking their bags, and instead just printed their tickets and went through security.

     Kelley always got annoyed by having to take her shoes off, and spent the time waiting in line complaining to Tobin about what she viewed as a great injustice. Tobin, who rarely wore shoes anyways, and often took airport security as an opportunity to “forget” to put her shoes back on, didn’t bother to pay attention to what Kelley was saying.

     They made it through security, and stopped for coffee before boarding the plane, at Kelley’s insistence. 

     Once on the plane, Tobin plugged herself into her headphones, getting lost in the music, eyes closed. After a while, Kelley found herself watching Tobin. One thought crossed kelley’s mind before she could stop it.

_Beautiful._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry if this sucks, but it's fun to write, so I'm going to keep going.


	3. Chapter 3

After the plane landed, Kelley and Tobin exited the airport, and stepped foot in the Belizean street. 

“Do we know anything about Belize? Aside form the fact that it is, after all, a real place.” Tobin asked.

“Well, my friend, I took the liberty of going on Wikipedia while you were being lazy on the plane. Did you know that the national animal of Belize is the Baird’s Tapir, which is commonly known as the mountain cow?” Kelley pulled up a picture on her phone for Tobin to look at.

Looking at the strange animal, Tobin wrinkled her nose. “It looks creepy.” She said.

     Kelley, indignant, replied, “They’re adorable! And they’re protected by the government. I wonder if each one has its own personal guard. Like people in the witness protection program!”

     Tobin rolled her eyes. “Kell, I’m pretty sure that’s not how the witness protection program works. Anyways, do we know anything _useful_ about Belize?”

     Kelley was prepared for this, “In fact we do! Did you know that the national bird is the keel billed toucan?”

     “Kells, for real.” 

     “Fine. People in Belize speak English, or at least it’s the official language. It’s supposed to be pretty and warm here, so that should be fun. There’s a pretty big tourist industry here, so we should be able to find a place to stay.” Kelley said.

     Satisfied with Kelley’s answer, Tobin replied, “Thank you.”

     The pair walked in silence for a while, stopping occasionally to stare at the beautiful views. 

     Tobin turned to see Kelley looking at her. “As much fun as I’m having right now,” Tobin said, “We should probably find a place to stay. It’s dark, and I don’t know if there are Belizean street gangs.”

     “There’s an extremely high murder rate. Belize is considered the sixth most violent country in the world, at least according to the UN. Fun fact: there are over forty homicides for every 100,000 residents!” Kelley chirped, as if she thought that homicides were fun.

     “You’ve got to be kidding me! When did you find this out?” Tobin shrieked.

     “On the plane when I was doing my research on Belize.” Kelley said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

     “And you let me walk around! We could be dead now!” Tobin yelled. 

     Tobin’s normally chill demeanor had faded away, which Kelley figured was perfectly understandable, due to the fact that she had just learned of the staggering possibility that she   would be dead by tomorrow.

     “Tobin, only four thousandths of a percent of the people here get murdered. It’s not a big deal.” Kelley said.

     “You did the math? And you say that you went to Stanford for the soccer.” Tobin said with a small chuckle.

     With their new knowledge that if they didn’t find a place to stay soon they would probably be ruthlessly murdered, the pair quickly found the nearest residential area, hoping it would have a hotel. Unfortunately, the only place to stay was a small hostel.

     “They take people not in college, right Kels?” Tobin asked.

     “Yes. They also take seniors in high school.” Kelley replied.

     “So we’re going to sleep out here and get murdered.” Tobin said.

     “Nope.” Kelley said, and strode into the building, “Follow my lead.”

     Tobin did as Kelley said and followed her into the hostel. Inside was rather cramped, but it looked beautiful, with a brightly colored mural depicting a jungle painted on the walls.

     “Yo,” Kelley said to the person at the desk. “I’m like, in college, Dude, and I like, need a place to Netflix and chill.”

     Tobin pulled Kelley aside. “First off, I don’t think you know what Netflix and chill means. Or at least, I hope you don’t. Secondly, you did not talk like that when you were in college. Thirdly, when you talk like a person pretending to be a college student, you don’t get to stay here, and you get murdered. Do you want to get murdered?” Tobin whispered.

     “I totally know what Netflix and chill means! It means to, like, fall asleep while watching Netflix because you’re so chill and relaxed. And I’d like to see you pretend to be in college. You know that you can’t do better.” Kelley whispered back.

     Shaking her head, Tobin said, “just do me a favor and never use that phrase again.”

     Tobin walked up to the lady running the front desk, leaving Kelley grumbling about Tobin’s criticism of her use of internet language. Tobin addressed the woman by saying, “I’m sorry about my friend. She gets nervous on plane rides, and well, this is the result,” Tobin looked over to see Kelley glaring at her, “We’d love a place to stay in for a few days.”

     The woman looked at Tobin suspiciously, “You’re in college?”

     “Yes ma’am.” Tobin said innocently.

     The woman grabbed two sets of keys and led them to a room. They were lucky, and nobody else was staying there, and the two had the room to themselves. Unfortunately, there was only one bed, causing the two to either share it, or have one of them doomed to sleep on the hard floor. After much debating and one pillow fight over who should take the floor, the pair opted to share the bed. 

     “I still can’t believe that she didn’t believe my college student impression. It was legendary.” Kelley whispered into the darkness.

     The two laid in silence for a while, before Tobin whispered, “I miss Alex.”

     Kelley pretended to be asleep, not knowing how to respond. Wishing that she was enough.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. Thanks for reading. Feel free to tell me if you have any ideas for how you want the story to go/where you want Kelley and Tobin to visit. I think I know how I want the story to end, but I'd love to hear what you guys think.  
> <3  
> ps. all the facts about Belize are real. Wikipedia told me so.


	4. Chapter 4

     Kelley awoke and immediately felt the emptiness on the other side of the bed. Rubbing the tiredness from her eyes, she looked up to see Tobin sitting on the floor, on her laptop.

     “Morning.” Tobin said, not bothering to turn around.

     “What are you doing on the floor?” Kelley asked, not bothering with normal pleasantries such as greeting Tobin. 

     “You kicked me out.” Tobin said calmly.

     “I did no such thing,” said Kelley responded to the accusation, “I would never demand to have my friend removed so that I could enjoy the luxury of having a bed to myself. I have honor!”

     “No. You literally kicked me out of bed.” Tobin pulled her shirt up, revealing a bruise on her ribs, already turning blue.

     “Sorry.” Kelley said. “What are you looking at?” She continued, gesturing at Tobin’s laptop.

     “Well I figured that since we’re here, we should do something embarrassingly touristy. Anyways, there’s a zoo.”

     Kelley was interested in this bit of news. She had always loved zoos, a fact that she expressed whenever she was near one, much to the annoyance of whomever she was with at the time.

     “Do they have the Baird’s Tapir, the national animal of Belize?” Kelley asked excitedly.

     “You can look,” Tobin said, handing over the laptop, opened to the zoo’s website, “But seriously, chill on the Tape thing. It can’t be as cool as you think it is.”

     “Excuse me!’ Kelley said, “The Baird’s Tapir, my second favorite animal, is most definitely as cool as I think it is!”

     Tobin glared. “One more mention of it, and we won’t go to the zoo.”

     Kelley pouted, jutting out her bottom lip. “Fine.” she sighed.

     The two dressed and decided to walk to the zoo, as it was reasonably close, and after hearing about all the homicides, Tobin didn’t trust any of the cab drivers.  The walk was mainly uneventful, Kelley chattering on about nothing while Tobin only half listened, every once in a while nodding absentmindedly. 

     The zoo was reasonably small, but the animals there were more exotic than the two were accustomed to seeing. The two wandered from cage to cage, Kelley excited, Tobin moping. 

     “I’ve always hated how they keep them in cages. It’s so sad.” Tobin said while staring forlornly at a tiger lounging near a rock.

     “Yeah,” Kelley said, “But this makes it so that the species doesn’t go extinct.I’d rather there be tigers in captivity than no tigers at all. And it isn’t like they’re neglected.”

     “I guess,” Tobin said, “But the tiger looks sad.”

     “That’s just how tigers look. Have you ever seen a happy tiger?” Kelley asked.

     This comment got Tobin in a slightly better mood, and the two moved on to the next exhibit, which happened to be the Baird’s Tapir. 

     “Kelley, I know that you have probably memorized an entire wikipedia entry on the Baird’s Tapir, but I don’t want to hear anything other than cool or interesting. Got it?”

     “Cool. Interesting.” Kelley monotoned. 

     “Wait here,” Tobin said, “I have an idea.

     Tobin ran away, in the direction that they had came from. 

     “She had better not be leaving me.” Kelley grumbled to herself.

     Tobin had been gone for several minutes, but Kelley didn’t care, because with Tobin gone she could recite random facts about her second favorite animal to unsuspecting tourists. Kelley’s facts became so popular that she soon assembled a small crowd. She assumed that the patrons thought that she was a zookeeper, due to her plain colored shirt and jeans. Some people even gave her tips. She figured that Tobin would lecture her about the morality of keeping the money, but she didn’t care. She had made forty bucks.

     She saw Tobin jogging back to the exhibit, carrying two ice creams and a small white bag. She handed one of the ice creams to Kelley, the crowd now staring.

     “Tour’s over people! Enjoy your day!” Kelley yelled. 

     The crowd dispersed, some thanking Kelley. “Don’t ask.” she said.

     Tobin shook her head, somewhat amused. “Are you ready to go?” she asked.

     Kelley nodded, and the two began the walk back to the hostel. They walked in silence for a while before Kelley exclaimed, “We forgot to go to the gift shop!”

     Tobin smiled and handed over the white bag.  Kelley looked inside and pulled out a stuffed Baird’s tapir. “Thank you Toby! It’s a Baird’s Tapir, also known as the mountain cow!”

     Tobin rolled her eyes. “Oh I just picked a random animal. I had no idea that was the animal that you’ve been going on about for the past two days.” She said sarcastically. 

     Kelley stuck her tongue out at Tobin, and hugged her new toy.

     “Anyways, sorry that I was in a bad mood today. It’s just that Alex always loved going to zoos. And, it just kinda sucks, you know. Anyways, I had much more fun with you.” 

     Tobin smiled and linked her arm with Kelley’s. The pair walked arm in arm for a while, basking in the warm light. 

     “I thought of the next place we should go!” Tobin exclaimed.

     “Really? Where?”  Kelley asked.

     “Russia.” 

     “Really Tobs?” Kelley asked, “As much as I love your enthusiasm, and ideas, you really think that _Russia_ is the place to go?”

     Tobin, as oblivious as ever, wasn’t catching on to all of the problems with going to Russia. “Yeah. Why not?” she asked.

     “For one, it’s cold there.” Kelley started.

     “That’s fine. I have a coat.” Tobin said.

     Kelley decided to try a different tactic.

     “You know that Russia isn’t the _friendliest_ place ever, right.” she continued.

     Tobin shook her head. “Stop stereotyping, Kelley. I’m sure that there are nice Russians.”

     Kelley was done trying. “Well at least they have good vodka.” she said.

     “That’s the spirit!” Tobin replied.

     They continued walking to the hostel. Once there, Tobin got the plane tickets, again with no return date. The two would be heading to Moscow tomorrow. Though it wasn’t late yet, they were tired, and decided to go to sleep.

     “I can sleep on the floor tonight.” Kelley said, “I don’t want to kick you again”

     “No, it’s fine, you don’t have to do that for me.” Tobin replied.

     “I’d do anything for you.” Kelley said, trying to pass it off as a joke. Really, Tobin was touched. The two fell asleep, arms touching.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I kinda think that the end sucks, but then again, I think that most of the stuff I write sucks, and other people seem to like it.  
> If you have any ideas, feel free to comment. Cause I have no idea what I'm doing.  
> Thanks for reading!   
> <3


	5. Chapter 5

     Kelley woke to Tobin gently nudging her awake. She groaned and rolled over, looking at the alarm clock on the small bedside table. 

     “God Tobin, why are you waking me up at 5:23? That’s like three in the morning in Jersey.”

     “Kell, you now it’s not. On our first day here, you told me that there was only an hour of time change. It’s 6:30 in Jersey.” Tobin chastised.

     “Humph.” Kelley pouted. She then rolled back under the covers and hid her head under the pillows. Tobin picked up a pillow from the edge of the bed, and proceeded to hit Kelley with it. 

     Kelley, not one to back down from a pillow fight, grabbed the pillow she was hiding under. She then began to hit Tobin mercilessly. Tobin held her own, but once Kelley grabbed another pillow, and wielded her weapons with both hands, Tobin knew she was vanquished.

     Going out in flames, she grabbed her pillow and stuffed it in Kelley’s face, muffling Kelley’s screams. All the while, Kelley was trying in vain to hit Tobin in the face.

     Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The pair looked at each other, smiles of guilt spreading over their faces. Kelley was the first to speak, “Oops.”

     Tobin got up, straightened her shirt, and walked over to the door. Cautiously, she cracked the door open, to see the unsmiling face of the front desk lady. “Hi,” she choked out.

     The woman glared at her. “It’s a good thing you and your girlfriend are leaving today,” she said sternly, “otherwise you two would be getting kicked out right now.”

     “Yes ma’m” Tobin muttered. The woman turned around, not allowing Tobin time to explain that she and Kelley were not a couple.  She turned back to Kelley, and they burst out laughing.

     “It couldn’t have been that loud!” Kelley gasped for air.

     “It totally was, and you know it.” Tobin replied, “You were screaming. You could have disturbed people.”

     “You know that nobody else is here except for that front desk lady. She could murder us and nobody would ever know.” kelley said.

     Tobin looked at Kelley, the realization that she had been exposing herself to the likelihood of being murdered for the past few days dawning upon her. 

     “There are over forty homicides for every 100,000 people” Kelley whispered.

     “I know,” Tobin whispered back.

     The two looked at each other again. They tried to keep a straight face, but for some reason, early in the morning, homicides are funny. The two burst out into a fit of uncontrollable laughter for the third time that morning.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not at all what I was planning on writing for this chapter, but I think it turned out okay. I'll get back to the plot next chapter, which should hopefully be out soon. I already have an idea of what I want it to be.  
> Thank you guys so much for reading.  
> As always, if you have any ideas I'd love to hear them.  
> <3


	6. Chapter 6

     After the events of the morning, Kelley and Tobin checked out of the hostel, and headed to the airport to catch a flight to Moscow. Kelley was still hesitant about going to Russia, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. She figured that she would let Tobin enjoy her idea while she still could. 

     The two walked to the airport. They had been everywhere throughout their stay in Belize, and they weren’t going to stop now. They strolled in amiable silence, basking in the sunlight. Every once in a while, Tobin would point out a landmark or pretty view to Kelley. The beauty was not lost on the pair, and whenever they saw something particularly breathtaking, they would stop and marvel at it for a while.

     Because of their nonchalant walk over, they didn’t have much time to make it through security. 

     “Okay Kells, we don’t have much time, so don’t mention bombs or anything because you think it’ll be funny.” Tobin said in a whisper, not wanting to have airport security hear her say the word ‘bomb’.

     “Why would I Talk about bombs?” Kelley asked, “We don’t have bombs in out bags.”

     Kelley’s natural voice was much louder than Tobin’s, and she didn’t seem to have any qualms about people hearing her say the ‘B’ word. Kelley’s statement caused a lot of worried looks from airport security.

     A burly security officer lumbered his way over to Kelley and Tobin. He glared at the pair. He radiated disapproval. It was quite frightening.

     “ Seriously, Kelley?” Tobin asked exasperated. 

     “What did I do?” kelley asked, defensively.

     "You said that we had **bombs** in our bags!” Tobin exclaimed. This caused all the heads in the room to turn and stare at the two. The officer had now reached them.

     “I’m afraid that you will have to come with me.” He said, looking down at the pair.

     Tobin glared at Kelley and proceeded to follow the man into a small room. In the middle of the windowless room there was a table with two chairs. Kelley and Tobin sat at the chairs and glared at each other as the man paced the room.

     “What am I going to find in your bags?” he asked menacingly.

     Before they could answer, her grabbed Kelley’s bag from her hand and opened it roughly. 

     “Hey!” Kelley began, but was cut off by a glance from Tobin. 

     The security officer rummaged through Kelley’s bag roughly, and seemed disappointed when he found nothing. The only thing of note he found was Kelley’s days of the week underwear, which once he found, he glanced at Kelley disapprovingly.

     “It was on sale!” she exclaimed.

     “Sure it was.” replied Tobin.

     This comment received a glare from Kelley, but despite her best efforts, she failed to look intimidating. 

     The officer then grabbed Tobin’s bag. Again, he found nothing. He then glared at the two women before telling them that they were free to go. Kelley grabbed her bag indignantly, thinking that she had been wronged by the search. Tobin just sighed, knowing that they had missed their flight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After I posted last, a bunch of people commented. Every time I checked my phone I had an email telling me that someone had commented. It kinda made my day, so thanks for that!  
> Thank you to all of you who have been reading. I know that the plot isn't going anywhere right now, but I know pretty much what I want to happen, I'm just waiting for the right time to write it. It'll be good. Or at least I think It will be.  
> <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's been a while since I've been to an airport, so I don't really know if they keep flags at the counters, but just bear with me. It's fine.

     After talking with an airport staff member, who told them that the earliest flight was the next morning, Kelley and Tobin found an abandoned row of chairs in an empty terminal, and decided to set up home base there.

     “Hey Tobs, open my bag and in the top pocket you’ll find a small tarp, some poles, and a flashlight. Please bring them to me.”

     Tobin looked at Kelley, confused. “What are you doing?” she asked.

     Then it dawned on her. “You wouldn’t.” She said, “Are you actually building a tent in an airport?”

     Tobin seemed quietly excited at that prospect, and Kelley replied, nodding, “Isn’t it great? I always cary emergency tent making supplies. I’ve never had the chance to use them before!” 

     The two quickly assembled the tent. It was small and slightly lopsided, but, at least for the time being, it was home. They stood back and marveled at their handiwork. 

     “Do you know what it needs?” Kelley asked.

     “What?”

     “A flag.”

     “Kelley, we’re in the middle of an airport. where do you think we’ll get a flag?” Tobin asked.

     “Tobin,” Kelley replied, “We’re in the middle of an airport, there are flags on literally  every single desk.”

     Tobin now felt slightly stupid at her oversight. There was, in fact, a flag ten feet away from her, sitting on one of the counters near the gates. She expected Kelley to be that oblivious, not her.

     “Do you mean we should steal that flag?” Tobin asked.

     “No.” Kelley said,

     “Good.” Tobin sighed. 

     “I think that we should steal all the flags!” 

     Tobin’s eyes widened. “Kelley!” she breathed, “We can’t steal all the flags. It’s illegal.”

     With a gleam in her eye, and a slight smirk, Kelley said, “It’s not illegal if we don’t get caught!”

     Hesitantly, Tobin agreed. However, she insisted that they compensate the airport somehow, and return the flags when they were done with them. So Kelley set out to get the cheap chocolate from the airport convenience store to give in place of the flags.

     Meanwhile, Tobin surveyed the airport to see where all of the flags were. Using a spare receipt and a pen that Kelley stole from the hostel, she drew a map of where all the flags were located. It seemed that at every gate, the national flag of the destination sat on the counter. Tobin studied the departure times, and made an elaborates schedule so that they wouldn’t get caught in their petty thievery. 

     Kelley returned, holding a bag of chocolate wrapped in green foil. They sat in the tent while Tobin outlined the plan of attack.

     Pointing to the receipt map, Tobin said, “Okay, I’ve looked up the times of departure, and these terminals are going to be empty first.” Tobin gestured to drawings on the map, “After we hit those, we’ll make a short stop back here to stash the flags.” Tobin pointed at a drawing of a tent marked HQ. “We’ll finish by hitting terminals B, and F.” 

     The two glanced up at each other, making eye contact. “We’re really doing this?” Tobin asked.

     “I mean what’s the worst that could happen? We get hauled into airport security?” Kelley said with a smirk. “Anyways, we have chocolate.”

     After synchronizing their watches at Kelley’s insistence, they began walking to their first terminal. Tobin kept watch to make sure that nobody was going to catch them, as Kelley quickly grabbed the flags on the counters. In their place, she left a piece of chocolate. Finishing the task, she ran to Tobin, laughing. The two sprinted back to their tent, and tossed the flags inside.

     “Did we really do that?” Tobin asked, breathless.

     Kelley nodded her head. “I think we did.”

     “Come on!” Tobin yelled, grabbing Kelley’s hand, “We have more flags to steal!”

     They took off running to terminal B, and didn’t stop until they were back at HQ with all of the flags they could. 

     The smaller flags they put in the tent. Some of them came mounted, and those encircled the tent, acting as a boundary against the rest of the world. On the inside of the fort, emergency flashlights glowed. 

     Kelley stood outside of the circle for a few seconds. She couldn’t help but think how beautiful it all was. Quietly, so that Tobin didn’t notice, she took a picture of Tobin in the tent with her back turned. Kelley wanted to remember this day forever.

     Kelley and Tobin lay next to each other, facing the ceiling of their fort. “Today was the bast day ever. Thank you, Kells.” Tobin whispered.

     They fell asleep next to each other, hands brushing in the middle, pinkies locked.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's been a while since I updated. School kind of happened. This was kind of random, but actual plot is going to happen soon! Yay!  
> As always, thanks for reading. I really appreciate it.  
> <3


	8. Chapter 8

     Tobin woke up before Kelley. She rolled over to her side and checked the time on her phone. Five AM. Ever since high school Tobin had woken up early in the morning. She seemed to be unable to sleep for more than a few hours. Especially when something was bothering her.

     Tobin clicked her phone on again, knowing that it would be hours before Kelley was awake. She checked her text messages for the first time in days, knowing that if she didn’t, someone would file a missing person’s report on her. Scrolling through the messages, one popped out at her.

**Lex: Where are you?!!? You just left and now you won’t answer your phone!!!!!**

     Scrolling, Tobin found several more similar messages. Sighing, Tobin dropped her phone to the floor and turned over again. In the quiet of the morning she was left alone with her thoughts.

     Since running away with Kelley, Tobin had had some of the best days of her life. However, every day she thought about Alex less and less. This was the point of the trip, Tobin supposed. However, she couldn’t help but feel guilty that she was forgetting Alex.

     Tobin had a crush on Alex for years now. It couldn’t just go away in the course of a few days. Tobin was never one to fall in and out of love quickly. She believed that love took time. It wasn’t something that you could feel at the drop of a hat. She didn’t believe in love at first sight. When she read Romeo and Juliet in high school, she rolled her eyes at how foolish they were. Tobin thought that it was preposterous that Romeo and Juliet died because they thought the other was hot. That was attraction, not real love. Real love was supporting the other person. It was safe. Love was something to be cherished, because it took work and time.

     Tobin couldn’t understand falling in love suddenly, which was why she was so confused. Yesterday, when she grabbed Kelley’s hand to run, she felt something. For a moment, time had stood still. It was like worlds had aligned. In that moment, everything made sense. 

     But now nothing made sense. Liking Alex was part of Tobin’s identity. For the past two years, it was a given. Tobin’s crush on Alex was a constant. While it only hurt Tobin, it was a pain she could deal with; a constant ache that never went away. 

     And now it was gone. Replaced with something new. Tobin didn’t know how she should feel. She told herself that she should be glad that she didn’t like Alex anymore. Alex was unattainable. Being with Alex was never going to happen. It was better that Tobin didn’t want her. 

     But Kelley. Kelley was real. Kelley was a possibility that could be realized. Quickly, Tobin’s brain shut that thought down. Even though Kelley was a slightly more realistic possibility, Tobin couldn’t fool herself into thinking that Kelley could actually like her. 

     Yet the very thought of being with Kelley sent Tobin’s brain into a whirlwind of imagining what could be if only Kelley liked her. But Kelley was forbidden. They were just friends, and that’s all they would ever be. Tobin was convinced that she had gotten herself into another unrequited crush. She hoped that it wouldn’t last for as long as the last.

     Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to sleep more, Tobin got out of the tent and sat in an abandoned corner of the airport. There she waited for dawn, wishing that she had never decided to run away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, real plot happened! I'm excited for real plot. Sorry if it was a bit sudden. But still, real plot!   
> Anyways, as always, thanks for reading!   
> Happy Halloween!  
> <3


	9. Chapter 9

     Kelley was surprised when she woke up early in the morning. Usually she slept until late in the morning, and sometimes into the afternoon. She never woke up before nine unless someone made her. Which is why she was astonished when she woke up at five in the morning.

     She rolled over to see Tobin staring at the ceiling of the tent, lost in thought. Tobin didn’t notice that Kelley was awake. But then again, when did she ever notice Kelley?

     Kelley had always been there for Tobin. It wasn’t to say that Tobin was a bad friend, but she was alway too busy being in her own world, or thinking about Alex, to really think about Kelley. For a while Kelley didn’t care. Tobin was always slightly absent minded. However, Kelley slowly began to notice Tobin being aware of Alex. Tobin always seemed to know if Alex needed something, and stopped everything she was doing to help Alex. 

     It wasn’t too surprising, really, when Tobin told Kelley that she liked Alex. And that broke both of their hearts.

     It wasn’t until Tobin confessed her crush on Alex to Kelley, that Kelley realized that she liked Tobin. Tobin had been right in front of her, but it wasn’t until she was unattainable that Kelley knew how much she needed Tobin. Which is why Kelley knew that she could never tell Tobin how she felt. It would ruin their friendship. Tobin was too preoccupied with Alex to ever like Kelley.

     So Kelley watched as Alex destroyed Tobin. She knew Alex didn’t mean to, but she never paid enough attention to realize how much Tobin cared. Kelley knew that Tobin realized she had no chance with Alex, but it wasn’t until Alex got engaged that Tobin snapped. The night she knocked at Kelley’s door crying, Kelley knew that Tobin realized she couldn’t go back to silently waiting for Alex to realize that Tobin was there for her.

     Which made Kelley feel hope for the first time in two years. Then Kelley felt an immense amount of guilt for being glad that her best friend was heart broken. Then again, the two years that Tobin was having her heart broken by Alex, Kelley was having hers broken by Tobin.

     Still feeling guilty that she was glad Tobin was crying on her doorstep, Kelley set out to make everything better. Tobin was her best friend, and Kelley had to fix her. 

     So Kelley set all of her feelings aside, and planned the trip. She had hoped the adventure would distract Tobin from thinking of Alex, which she thought was working. But then, this morning, when she saw Tobin staring at the ceiling, Kelley knew that she had failed. Kelley knew that Tobin was still in love with Alex, and therefore, could never be in love with her.

     From the corner of her eye, Kelley saw Tobin getting out of the tent. Kelley rolled over so that she was facing the same ceiling that Tobin was staring at moments ago. Kelley knew that she loved Tobin. She knew that Tobin didn’t love her. So Kelley made the same decision Tobin made two years ago, and resigned herself to wait, and just be there for a person that she could never be with.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This did not go as planned. This was supposed to be a happy chapter... sorry.  
> I should have another update out this week. I'm almost done writing it.  
> Last update I surpassed 100 kudos, so that was cool. Thanks to anyone who left them. I really appreciate it!  
> Anyways, thanks for reading!  
> <3


	10. Chapter 10

     It was hours before Kelley came out of the tent. When she did, she saw Tobin curled up in a corner of the airport near the tent. Kelley walked toward her, and gently tapped on Tobin’s shoulder. Tobin’s eyes popped open.

     “Sorry to wake you.” Kelley apologized.

     “Oh. I wasn’t asleep.” Tobin replied

     “Oh.” Kelley said.

     The two stared at each other for a while, not knowing what to say.  

     “Um…” Tobin began, but the words trickled out of her mouth before she could really say anything.

     “Yeah. Um, I’m gonna change.” Kelley said, walking backward, still facing Tobin. After walking about five feet, she turned around and scurried tower the tent’s entrance.

     Internally, Tobin cursed herself. She should be able to have a normal conversation with Kelley. Kelley was one of her best friends, talking was what people did with friends. She wished that she had never realized her feelings for Kelley. Now she would have to worry about ruining her friendship. This was not what Tobin wanted to happen. This trip was supposed to make her forget about Alex, not fall in love with Kelley. Tobin supposed that now she had to forget about Kelley. Though, she didn’t know how to do that. She didn’t even know if she was capable of forgetting Kelley.

     Tobin’s phone buzzed. Alex.

**Lex: Seriously, where are you!??!! Are you stranded in a ditch somewhere? I’m worried!**

****Then it hit her. She could just fall in love with Alex again and forget Kelley. Liking Alex was a pain she could deal with; a pain she had dealt with for the past two years. She couldn’t deal with liking Kelley when there was no chance of being with her. Tobin picked up her phone to respond.

**Tobin: Sorry. I’m not stranded in a ditch. I just got busy. I miss you, Lex. I’ll see you soon.**

     Tobin stared at the text for a while, unsure of whether or not to send it. Something was holding her back from continuing with her shortsighted plan.

     “Man up, Heath.” she muttered to herself as she pressed send.

     Tobin walked toward the tent. She knocked on the tarp, making sure that she didn’t walk in on Kelley. After waiting a moment, she walked in, hunched as to not hit her head on the tarp. 

     “Our flight boards in half an hour, so we should probably go.” Tobin said.

     Kelley nodded in acknowledgement, and the two began to empty the inside of the tent. Soon, the tent was disassembled. Only the flags remained, in a small pile on the floor, left  for the airport staff for when they realized that they were missing. Kelley started to walk to their gate, not realizing that she left Tobin behind. 

     Making sure that Kelley wasn’t looking, Tobin tossed one of the flags into her bag. She didn’t know why, but she had a feeling that she would need it in the future. Jogging, she caught up with Kelley, and the two walked to their gate in silence. Their hands hung in-between the two, as if unknowingly daring the other to grab it.

     But Kelley thought that Tobin loved Alex, and Tobin thought that she **needed** to love Alex, so their hands hung there, swaying gently as they walked. 

     They reached their gate right as it was boarding. They handed their tickets to an old flight attendant who looked like she disapproved of their very being, even though she had no reason to. After passing the woman, Kelley looked at Tobin, who she found staring back.

     “You would have thought that we murdered her kitten.” Kelley muttered.

     “Tell me about it.” Tobin agreed.

     They looked at each other again, slight smiles on their faces. When Kelley looked up at her, Tobin realized that it would be harder than she thought to stop liking Kelley.

     Every time she looked at Kelley, her feelings intensified. Kelley was just so… perfect. She was beautiful in an interesting way. Her face was soft, the kind of face that when you looked into it, you knew that it belonged to a **good** person. A person who would take care of you if you took care of them. 

     And it wasn’t just that Kelley was stunning. She was smart. The kind of smart that people wouldn’t recognize until Kelley would list a string of random facts that Tobin had no idea how she knew.  She was fun. Kelley knew exactly how to make Tobin laugh and smile. Tobin had the times of her life with Kelley. Kelley was everything a person should be. Everything Tobin wanted in the one she would be with. Kelley was it.

     Snapping out of her thoughts, Tobin shook her head as if to clear it from her unwelcome thoughts of Kelley. Tobin continued boarding the plane. She quickly found her row, and slid into the window seat. Seconds later, Kelley followed.

     “Crap. I get the stupid middle seat. I’ll trade you.” Kelley said.

     “Not a chance.” Tobin replied quietly.

     Tobin plugged in her headphones and turned to stare out the window, blocking out Kelley. Kelley, realizing that she was being ignored, sighed and pulled out a book, already wishing the flight was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate it.   
> I'm going to try to get some writing done this weekend so I can update more during the week.  
> Feel free to tell me if you like where the story is going and if you have any ideas.  
> <3


	11. Chapter 11

     The flight was taking forever. Kelley was sat in between Tobin, who had suddenly decided to ignore her, and an old man who kept trying to talk to her and complain about how all of the immigrants were taking over the United States. He kept on telling Kelley that when Donald Trump was the president, everything would be fixed. Kelley tried to be polite, but her profound disagreement to everything he was saying made it difficult to remain civil. 

     Tobin stirred, and Kelley took that as an opportunity to pass the old man off to her. “Tobin! This nice old man was just telling me about how all of the gays are going to hell. Why don’t you talk to him.” She chirped.

     Tobin glared at Kelley. “I would,” Tobin began, “But you forget that I have that, thing… that I have to do.” 

     Smiling at Tobin cheerfully, Kelley said, “Oh! You can do the thing later.” And with that, Kelley no longer had to listen to the idiot that she sat next to, and she got to punish Tobin for ignoring her at the same time. Success.

     Kelley glanced down, checking her phone. She caught the words that the old man was saying, “They’re just taking over the world in their flannel shirts. They’re imposing their lifestyle on my good christian values. I worry for the children, you know?” Tobin stared at him with a blank face. “If the children see that it’s okay, do you know what will happen? Communism! That’s what.”

     Kelley wondered how Tobin had avoided making a scene on the plane by punching the man. Though, she supposed, Tobin wasn’t the punching type. Deciding to make Tobin slightly less miserable, Kelley texted her.

**Kelley: That’s what you get for ignoring me.**

     In the middle of their seat mate’s rant about how global warming was a communist plot, Tobin’s phone buzzed. Thankfully, the man didn’t notice, as if he did, he probably would have began talking about how back in his day they had to rely on letters for communication. Glaring at her phone, Tobin responded.

**Toby: I’m going to punch him.**

****Apparently Tobin was the punching type, Kelley thought.

**Kelley: Good idea.**

**Toby: And then I’m going to make you regret that you made me talk to him.**

**Kelley: I was listening to him for three hours before I handed him off to you. Three hours of him telling me that I was one of satan’s minions. I’m pretty sure that satan’s minions are yellow and wear overalls.**

**Toby: Yeah. Does he really not realize he’s talking to- and I quote “The devil’s flannel wearing spawn”?**

****The man finally stopped talking about how Obama was ruining the country long enough to ask, “So, where are you two from?”

     Kelley and Tobin made eye contact. “Well,” Kelley began, “I live in new york with my girlfriend here,” she wrapped her arm around Tobin, “where I am the head of the organization Communists in America. During my free time I volunteer for an environmental protection organization and have lots of lesbian sex with my girlfriend.”

     Tobin now started talking. “I work for the new york branch of the Democratic National Headquarters. Phyllis and I,” she said motioning to Kelley, “also do pottery on the weekends.”

     “I’m Phyllis now?” kelley muttered under her breath.

     “Yes, Phyllis. It's part of the story.” Tobin responded.

     “Gertrude and I,” Kelley began, “are planning to get married this March. A springtime wedding sounds lovely, doesn’t it.”

     Kelley leaned in to Tobin. “What are you doing?” Tobin sputtered.

     “I think he’ll pass out if we kiss.” Kelley whispered.

     Before Tobin could say anything, Kelley pressed their lips together. It was electric. Shocked, she pulled back, and was about to lean in for more, when she came back to her senses. She just kissed _Tobin._ Tobin was off limits. What had she done?

     The old man began sputtering and Kelley thought that she heard him mutter the beginnings of an exorcism. Usually, Kelley would laugh, but she was too astounded at what she had done. 

     The man got up to ‘use the bathroom’, and Kelley and Tobin stared at each other. 

     “I’m sorry.” Kelley said. “I just thought that it would weird him out.”

     “Oh it’s fine.”  Tobin said. “We didn’t even really kiss. It was just part of the fantasy designed to creep him out. It didn’t mean anything.”

     “Yeah,” Kelley said, slightly dejected, “It didn’t mean anything.”

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have anything to say, but I would feel weird if I didn't have anything here.  
> So just, thanks for reading and stuff.  
> <3


	12. Chapter 12

     The old man never came back. Judging from the long line to the bathroom, Tobin figured that he had barricaded himself in there, too afraid that Kelley and Tobin would try to corrupt his good christian lifestyle to come back to his seat. Based on the man’s reaction, Kelley and Tobin had accomplished their goal. But Tobin wondered if bothering their seat mate was worth what she was feeling now.

     She should have been happy that Kelley kissed her. After all, it was what she had been wanting since this trip began. However, Tobin knew that the kiss meant everything to her meant nothing to Kelley. And knowing that sucked.

     If only Kelley had kissed Tobin because she had actually wanted to, Tobin would have been elated. But now Tobin had broken her pact to forget about Kelley, and she doubted that they would be able to go back to the way it had been before. Tobin knew she had to do something drastic to fix the mess she had made.

     Tobin swore that Moscow would be the last stop on the journey. She would go back to Alex, and she would forget about Kelley. It would be better that way. Tobin couldn’t risk ruining her friendship with Kelley. Honestly, knowing Kelley was one of the best things to happen to her. She couldn’t give that up just so she could tell Kelley how she felt. After all, she knew there was no chance that Kelley could like her back.

     Tobin was woken up from her thoughts by the plane’s wheels touching down on the ground in Moscow. As the plane slowly unloaded, Tobin watched Kelley. Kelley seemed to be acting as if nothing had changed, further convincing Tobin that the kiss had meant nothing to Kelley.

     After going through the airport, the two stepped out into the city. Immediately, they felt the biting wind on their faces. However, all they could do was stare at the city, all lit up in the night sky.

     “It’s beautiful” Kelley breathed.

     “I know” Tobin replied.

     In that moment, they both knew that there was no other person they would rather be experiencing this with. They knew that the moment was only this stunning because of the person standing next to them. In that moment, Tobin realized that she could never truly be in love with Alex, yet she couldn’t bring herself to admit it.

     “We should go” Tobin said. And with that, the moment was ruined. 

     She started walking down the sidewalk, not caring if Kelley was following. Kelley hurried to catch up to Tobin, who was walking as fast as she could without looking like she was running away from a crime scene.

     “Wait up! Where are you going?” Kelley called.

     “I don’t know. I’m just walking.” Tobin snapped.

     Ignoring Tobin’s tone, Kelley continued, “You could be walking into Moscow’s crime district for all you know, and then you would be murdered. You put so much effort into not being murdered when we were in Belize, I don’t think you want to be murdered now just because you were mad that I kissed you!”

     Tobin stopped and turned to look at Kelley. “I’m not mad because you kissed me. I’m mad that it didn’t mean anything! You can’t just go around kissing people for the Hell of it!” Tobin yelled.

     Kelley’s face fell. “I didn’t just kiss you for the Hell of it! Well,” She paused briefly, thinking. “Maybe I did. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t mean anything!”

     “You can’t just tell me it didn’t mean anything and then change your mind the next minute. That’s not fair!” 

     “Really? That’s not fair? What isn’t fair is you suddenly changing your mind about me just because it’s convenient for you! You aren’t allowed to just stop liking Alex and change to me just because I’m here!” Kelley shouted.

     “That’s not what happened!” Tobin yelled back, “You know what? I’m leaving!” Tobin said as she ran off into the night.

     “You can’t just run away!” Kelley called after her. “Act like an adult for once!”

     But Tobin didn’t look back. She kept on running. Away from Kelley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving!  
> Sorry that this took me so long to update. I'll try to write more this weekend so I'll be able to update more frequently.  
> Thank you guys so much for reading. I really appreciate it.  
> <3


End file.
